Moment of Change
Two Years Later
Details of his life had slowly come back to Keitaro as he struggled to assemble the disjointed fragments of his memory into something resembling a whole life. Motoko would help him, staying awake with him long into the night, curled up next to him after their lovemaking, whispering stories of how they'd met and all the things that had happened to them since. Sometimes Keitaro wasn't sure if he knew the difference between real memories and the tales Motoko told him, but the love in her eyes and the warmth in her voice as she spoke reassured him. His wife was beautiful and loving, they were very happy together and they were about to have their first child, Keitaro reflected. Why worry about little things? As he lay awake in the early hours of the morning, his wife sleeping peacefully next to him, Keitaro banished the last shreds of doubt from his mind. He rolled over and wrapped an arm around Motoko's swollen abdomen, ignoring the feeling that the woman lying next to him should have had a different name.
"So tell me" Kitsune said with a grin so wide that it consumed most of her face "what's it like to be a Toudai graduate?"
Naru just grinned back, unable to express her feelings in words. Joy, relief, regret, loss . . . Judging by the expressions on Kitsune's face words weren't necessary. Naru forced a happier expression onto her face as she saw the others arriving.
"Congratulations sempai!" Shinobu exclaimed, fighting her way through the crowd to get to them, Su and Mutsumi behind her.
"Way to go Naru!"
"Ara! Well done Naru-chan!"
"Did you ever think we'd make it?" she asked Mutsumi with a bittersweet smile. Thoughts of graduation and all they'd been through to get here would always carry with them a reminder of the one who hadn't made it.
The one who hadn't kept his promise after all.
"Oh yes," Mutsumi replied blithely, breaking into Naru's brief reverie, "I knew we would. Just so long as you study hard and don't give up you can do anything!"
"And don't forget to put your name on your exam paper," Kitsune added with a grin. Mutsumi giggled.
"Oh yes," she agreed, "that too!"
"So what will you do now, Mutsumi?" Naru asked her fellow graduate that evening.
After meeting up with Seta and Haruka they'd gone out for a celebratory lunch - that Seta had somehow been able to pay for - and then returned to the Inn. On arriving Naru found that Kitsune had been stockpiling alcohol for this very occasion and Shinobu had secretly been preparing delicacies for the same reason for a week. Kitsune's shouted declaration that it was 'Time To Partyyyyyy!' had been met with general approval. That had been several hours ago and Naru had joined Mutsumi on the back porch of the Inn for a brief respite from what Kitsune and Su considered entertainment. Now they were both leaning comfortably against the railing as sounds of music, dancing and the laughter of the mildly drunk drifted back to them from the main rooms.
"I'm going home, Naru-chan," Mutsumi replied softly. Naru thought she could hear a trace of wistful regret in Mutsumi's voice, but told herself she must be imagining it.
"Oh? How come?"
"A primary school is being established on the island where I live and I've been asked to teach there," Mutsumi explained. "Until now there haven't been enough children there to justify the expense, but some new families have moved there recently so we'll have a school of our own for the first time." Mutsumi sounded pleased at the prospect, as well she might, Naru thought.
"So you're going to be a teacher there? That's great Mutsumi-chan!"
"It is nice," Mutsumi agreed, "but it will be a lot of work. You see, I'm going to be the only teacher there."
"You're . . . what?" Naru looked over at Mutsumi in surprise.
"Oh yes," Mutsumi giggled, "it's going to be a very small school and just for the younger children, so they only need one teacher. Since I already live there and I have my teaching degree, I was a good choice."
That's the understatement of the year, Naru thought. Your marks were unbelievable - in the top three percent for the entire country! I heard Mitsuki-sensei wanted you to stay on and do post-graduate work but you turned him down.
"It sounds like you're looking forward to it," Naru observed.
"I am," Mutsumi agreed. "I'll be able to see my family all the time again and it will be wonderful working with the children." She paused for a moment before adding; "but I will miss it here."
Naru looked out over the night cloaked grounds of the Hinata Inn and nodded her understanding of the sentiment. She didn't try to deny the pangs of regret and loss she felt inside. It was the last time they would all be together like this, she reflected, and an unwanted reminder of an earlier parting as well.
"So will I, Mutsumi-chan," she said sadly. "So will I."
"Ooof!" Shinobu exclaimed as she helped Su to her feet. "When did you grow so much, Su-chan?" she wondered out loud.
It was a rhetorical question. Shinobu didn't know if had something to do with Su's age-shifting, which hadn't happened since . . . well, since that time, but over the last year her friend had undergone a dramatic growth spurt. Su had gained several inches in height, as well as in other areas, which had induced a certain amount of jealousy in Shinobu. Consequently, getting Su to her room from the corner she'd curled up in after one too many glasses of sake - Kitsune was a bad influence, she thought absently - was a much more difficult task than it would have been a year ago. After getting the barely conscious Su to her feet Shinobu put an arm around her shoulders and manoeuvred her toward the stairs. Getting her up them proved difficult, but Shinobu knew no-one else was available for the job. Seta and Haruka had left hours ago, Kitsune was passed out on the couch and Naru and Mutsumi had both gone to bed. Shinobu managed to get Su to the top of the stairs, but after a moment's thought decided not to try getting Su into her own room.
She can sleep in my room tonight, Shinobu decided. That will be easiest.
THUMP! Shinobu winced at the force with which Su had hit her futon, but the other girl didn't seem to have been disturbed by the impact. She'd slipped out of Shinobu's grasp when she tried to lower her friend onto her futon. With a weary sigh she lay down next to Su on the narrow wedge of her futon that Su hadn't taken and pulled to covers up over both of them.
A few minutes later Shinobu was on the brink of falling asleep when the feel of fingers on the back of her neck startled her back into wakefulness.
"Su, what . . ." she murmured groggily.
"Hiya Shinobu," Su giggled.
"Su, I'm trying to go to sleep," Shinobu murmured, her voice close to a whine.
"Sorry, sorry," Su said in a sing song voice, not sounding sorry at all.
Shinobu shrugged mentally and concentrated on getting back to sleep, but was distracted by Su again. This time her fingers were walking up and down Shinobu's back.
"Su, what are you doing?" Shinobu asked her friend, not really sure what Su was thinking but still frustrated by her behaviour. She must have been more drunk than I thought, Shinobu decided.
"Su likes Shinobu," Su declared in response. The non sequitir brought a frown of confusion to Shinobu's face. A moment later that confusion was replaced by shocked understanding as Su's arms wrapped around her body and Su's hands settled on Shinobu's breasts, while her lips nuzzled the nape of Shinobu's neck. Shinobu stiffened in disbelief. It took several seconds for the reality of the situation to sink in, but when it did she jumped up with a yelp and backed away from the futon.
"What are you doing?" she asked Su in horror.
"Su likes Shinobu," Su repeated plaintively as she sat up in bed, brushing tousled hair out of her eyes. "Doesn't Shinobu like Su?"
"I, I, I . . . not like that!" Shinobu exclaimed nervously. "Not like that, Su."
"Shinobu doesn't like Su?" Su asked, her voice and expression sinking into deep unhappiness.
"No!" Shinobu exclaimed, "I mean, I do like you Su but . . . but not that way. We're just friends. Only friends."
There was a part of Shinobu that had begun to gibber in panic at what was happening. Su's behaviour violated cultural taboos that had been impressed on Shinobu since birth and propriety demanded that she run screaming from the room. But Shinobu's heart was stronger than the shell of conformity that society had imposed on her - and her heart took note of Su's miserable expression and defensive posture. Instinctively, Shinobu grasped that this was a defining moment in her life. The way she treated Su now, with revulsion or understanding, would go a long way to determining what kind of person she would become.
And I don't want to be a person who hurts her best friend, Shinobu decided.
"Su," she began carefully, "I like you, really. You're my best friend and I care about you a lot - I, I love you. But I don't . . . I'm not . . ."
"Su understands," Su replied softly. "It's okay. Su loves Shinobu too, but you don't . . . Su understands."
Shinobu didn't try to respond in words. Instead she went over to her friend, knelt down beside her and put her arms around her, stifling the inner voice that was still gibbering in panic. For a moment Su didn't respond, but then she leaned carefully into Shinobu's embrace and returned it. They stayed like that for several seconds before Su disentangled herself, stood up, and walked out of the room. Su stopped at the door for a moment before she left.
"Thank you," said Su. And then she was gone.
Naru yawned mightily as she stood on the front porch of the Inn, holding one hand in front of her eyes to shield them from the morning sun. Ten in the morning wasn't that early - unless you'd gotten completely smashed the night before. Kitsune had sworn viciously when Naru had shaken her awake a couple of hour ago, but it was unavoidable. They were moving into the apartment Kitsune had found for them today - and getting everything sorted out required an early start if they were to finish by the end of the day. Seeing Kitsune have to do some actual work, while hung over no less, had significant amusement value, but it wasn't enough to completely distract Naru from her own migraine. She watched as Kitsune hefted the last of her boxes into the small hatchback they'd pooled their savings to buy and couldn't help feeling slightly smug. She'd finished her packing nearly an hour ago. With another yawn Naru went back inside. She wanted to have a last look at the Hinata Inn before she left for good.
"Hello Naru-san." Naru whirled round in shock when she heard the familiar voice.
"Kanako!?"
Indeed, it was her, standing next to Naru in the exact same spot Mutsumi hac occupied during their conversation last night.
She's as quiet as ever, Naru observed.
"I'm sorry for startling you," Kanako replied calmly. "I didn't intend to."
"I, but," Naru shook herself and started again. "Why are you here?" she asked, hoping the question didn't sound aggressive.
"I wished to congratulate you," Kanako replied, "and to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?" Naru repeated dully, wondering if she was going to spend the entire conversation feeling clueless.
"Yes. I am going to . . . travel. I'm not sure yet where I'll go."
"Oh."
Kanako smirked.
"Yes, oh."
"I, well, I really don't know what to say. Good luck, I guess."
"Thank you, Naru-san," Kanako replied formally. With that, Kanako turned and began to walk away from Naru, heading around the side of the Inn.
"Hey, wait!" Naru exclaimed.
"Yes?"
You're just . . . going?"
Kanako shrugged.
"Why not?"
"Well . . ."
"I know what you mean, Naru-san," Kanako told her, a smile ghosting across her lips, "but what else should I do?"
"It just seems like there should be . . . more to it than this."
Then Kanako truly did smile.
"It's nice of you to say, Naru san, but I'd rather just go." Kanako seemed to think for a moment before adding, "I'll write."
Naru stared after her sometime enemy, sometime friend as she walked away, one thought on her mind.
I guess everyone's leaving.
Author's Notes
Hmmm. This chapter was one of the quickest to write (roughly four hours over two nights) but also one of the hardest. The scene between Shinobu and Su . . . draining. One other thing, if all the wonderful people who review - whose support I deeply appreciate - could maybe not leave spoilers in their reviews? I'd really appreciate it.